Winter Dance and Silver Bells
by Beanka Juarez
Summary: Draco had come in with that girl with the silver rings. I had tried to catch his eye, but he hadn't seen me. Or maybe he hadn't meant to. . . "Hermione." . . . Speak of the devil. Post-Hogwarts, EWE, slightly AU.


Here's another little ditty of mine. Hope you like it!

I've gotta warn you though, it's pretty OOC (and kinda AU), so if you don't like that, sorry. This is the way it came out, so sorry if the characters aren't completely right. Yes, I know that Hermione's kinda cowardly in this story, but that is the way she needed to be in order for the story to progress. Besides that, comment if liked what you see. :)

Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognise, yo. Belongs to Jo, yo.

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><p>It was disgusting. How could a woman hang off his arm like that? A true mystery, it seemed. So why did it bother me? I shrugged softly and pulled my gloves farther up my wrists. It didn't matter, because I didn't care what he did and who he affiliated with and I didn't care that he hadn't talked to me in eight weeks and it didn't matter to me that he seemed to smile so genuinely when he looked at her and I certainly didn't care that she seemed to smile right back.<p>

I sniffed.

"I'm being pathetic. Pull yourself together Hermione." I scolded myself and sunk more deeply into the golden chiffon curtains that lined the ballroom.

"Why are you being pathetic?"

In the classic feminine reaction, I pressed my hand to my heart and gasped. "Harry! you gave me a fright. Don't do that to me."

I turned to my left and scrutinised the tall, broad shouldered man in front of me. He smiled at my dramatics and bowed in a thespian manner. I sighed when I noticed that the tips of his hair brushed his ears. "Didn't Ginny tell you to cut your hair before the event?"

He smiled roguishly and fingered his onyx locks. "Yes. That doesn't mean that listened to her."

I sighed again with a good-natured grin. "It's a wonder that she can stand you."

Harry smiled back and leaned against the wall next to me. "So, what's the fantastic reason for you hiding in the curtains, huh?"

I turned away, suddenly very solemn, and very embarrassed that I was.

Harry bumped my shoulder with his, but I avoided his gaze, instead looking towards the object of my frustration. Harry followed my eyes in the intuitive way that only he could, and his smile dropped as well.

"Don't tell me that Malfoy is being a prat again."

"Language, Harry."

"Oh hush about that Hermione. What's he done this time?"

"Nothing."

"I know that look Hermione, it means that you're upset. I might be thicker that a pine tree, but I'm not that stupid."

"It doesn't matter. Forget about it."

We were silent for a minute before Harry started walking quickly away. From the way his expensive shoes hit the marble, I could tell he was determined to go confront Draco himself.

Picking up the hem of my dress, I started quickly after him. "Harry Potter, stop this instant!" I reprimanded, grabbing him deftly by the sleeve.

"Hermione," his voice was hard when he finally stopped. "Who's that woman?"

I looked towards Draco, the selfsame woman swinging from his arm like a Christmas ornament.

"I don't know." My voice quiet as the snow outside. I looked down and Harry turned his harsh eyes to me.

"You don't know?" Harry was angry. And suddenly, he was angry at me. He grabbed me by the arm, tough as an ox, and hauled me back to the corner with the chiffon curtains. "You listen here, Hermione Malfoy, and you listen good. Your mother didn't have you married off all high and mighty just for you to throw it away because you don't have a backbone to take what is yours. Do you see that man over there?" He pulled my chin up and pointed it across the room. "Do you see him?"

I gulped. "Yes."

"Well take a good look at him."

And so I did. Tall and lithe, with blonde hair so light it was almost white. His beard was trimmed neatly and his clothes pressed crisply. His nose was sharp, but his smile was soft, and his eyes sparked as he threw back his head in a healthy laugh. I thought could hear the sound of his laughter, but it was just my imagination.

Then I looked at who he was laughing with. The woman was taller by a few inches than I, with golden tresses that flowed gracefully down her back. Her fingers sparkled with silver rings and there were bells on her toes that made tinkling music when she walked. She was beautiful. Much handsomer than I with my dirt-brown hair that was too bushy to pull into a bun, but too curly to be put into anything else that looked sleek. She had the face of an angel compared to my small eyes and my small nose and my smile that was just barely too wide to be pretty.

Who was kidding? Why was Draco _not_ with her?

"Hermione, what are you thinking? I know that face." Harry interrupted my train of though with a frown. "You're putting yourself down again aren't you?"

How did he know me so well? I wondered, tearing my gaze away from Draco and his mystery woman. I was too afraid to look at my best friend, scared that he would see the truth in my eyes.

He didn't have to look in my eyes. Suddenly I was wrapped up in a bear hug that lasted only for a moment. "Hermione, you're wonderful, but sometimes you really are stupid." He whispered.

I was about to retort when the hardness in his eyes returned. "Hermione," he said, "straighten those stockings of yours, muster some metal and go take back what it yours!"

I sniffed. "But he's not mine, is he?"

I could tell he almost slugged me right in the stomach. "_Of course he's yours!_ Grow a backbone woman! You're never gonna get what you want if you don't go for it!"

He looked me right in the eye and shook my shoulders slightly, as if it helped to get his pep-talk into my head. "Are you going to go for it?"

I stared at him, trying to take some of his strength and plant it into my heart so I wouldn't be as afraid. Some Gryffindor I was. "I don't know how to get him back." I confessed.

"Yes you do! Just go for it! Channel some of your inner Ginny and get out there!"

I smiled at the thought of my headstrong best girl friend and took a deep breath. "I can do this."

"Yep." Harry smiled and gave my gloved hand a squeeze. "Make us proud, mat."

I nodded my head with a bit more confidence than I had, but I started walking away from Harry before I lost all my aplomb. "Just go for it." I muttered.

It was a long walk across the crowded ballroom to Draco. My shoes clicked plainly on the marble floors and the light from the chandeliers made the golden strings in the mystery woman's hair shine with iridescent glamor.

She sure looked nice. I turned around quickly, loosing most all my strength, but Harry was there behind me with a determined glare.

With nowhere else to go, I forged onward.

I was there at his side before I wanted to be, but he had already noticed me, so there was nothing I could do to retreat without seeming mental.

"Hermione," he smiled pleasantly, but I didn't let the fake grin get a hold of me and make me scared again. I had to do this.

I took a deep breath and started talking. "Draco, we need to talk."

"Okay," he said understandingly and placed his full glass goblet on a side table.

"Alone." I remarked, looking from the mystery woman to Draco and then back again. She gave an irritated huff and sauntered off.

"Hermione," Draco rebuked quietly, "that is no way to talk to our guest.

Suddenly I was very fired up. The anger wanted to burst out of my chest, and despite what Mama had told me about angry words, I let them come out anyway. "Oh? A guest is she? Here I was thinking that she was your new suitor! I was thinking all along that this party to celebrate your promotion was really an engagement gala, seeing as she hasn't let go of you since you got here!" He looked confused and affronted and that only fuelled my fire. "You don't get it? She's been all over you this whole night. And Mr Malfoy, I don't like it. I don't like it one bit."

Draco was angry, I could tell by the way his shoulders stiffened and his brows furrowed. I wanted to take back my words and tell him kindly, but there was no way that I could. "When did you get so clingy, Hermione?"

Acidic tears smarted my eyes. How could he say that? "Clingy? Maybe when I haven't seen you eight weeks and this is the first time I've talked to you since you left for India! Maybe I'm upset because I haven't had time with you tonight because you've spent all your time with some bint of an investor's daughter and not with me! Did you ever think of that?" I could tell by the way I was panting that my face was all red and splotchy and my hair was sticking out like I had just climbed a tree, but I didn't care. I was too busy looking at the fury in Draco's cold eyes.

Quietly and gracefully, just like Draco always is, he turned on his heel and strode away, as angry as a crow who's branch had just been shaken. Before he was lost in the crowd, he rotated to face me. "Didn't think of that? Well maybe I don't want to."

Then he was gone again. I saw the top of his head afar off in only a moment. I heard the sound of bells.

The tears were falling down my face before I told them to, my sadness beat me to it. Scraping up the last of my dignity, I gathered up my skirts and fled through ballroom and quiet hallways as quickly as a fox.

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><p>The air outside on the balcony nipped at my neck and nose and ears. The wind tore at my hair and dress and crawled up my legs unpleasantly. The falling snow swirled around my ankles and the bitterness froze the tears on my face.<p>

And yet the tears fell still.

"So that's what happens when you go for something you want." I snorted derisively under my breath, too afraid that the wind would hear my dejection if I said it any louder. Maybe the wind would send me away because it didn't want me either.

I stood out on the balcony for who knows how long, letting the winter numb my toes and ears and looking down on the frosted pond below me and the trees that shook with the howling night wind. I knew that I should go inside, but the cold was welcoming and I was happy that it asked me to stay. I thought Harry came to see me outside, but since I didn't acknowledge him, he went back inside. The warmth that swirled outside from the closing door didn't even entice me to return to the party. I was too busy feeling sorry for myself.

I thought about the lonely days in the house while Draco had been gone to India. I remembered how I had wondered what exotic thing he would bring me from the spice lands or what stories he would tell me as we sat by the fire in our living room. I thought back to earlier in the afternoon, where I had donned this special dress and straightened my hair so that I might have a semblance of beauty. I remembered how happy I thought Draco would be to see me after so long away.

Then Draco had come in with that girl with the silver rings. I had tried to catch his eye, but he hadn't seen me. Or maybe he hadn't meant to.

"Hermione."

Speak of the devil.

"Hermione," he said again.

I didn't turn to face him, but I did bow my head a little farther. I felt his hand ghost across my arm as he thought of what to say.

"Hermione, you're cold." His voice was coloured dark with concern.

"Does it matter?" I was pleased by the way my voice was hard, and not soft. He didn't need to know that all I wanted was for him to take me up in his arms and tell me how much he loved me. He probably wouldn't care—he had the girl with the bells on her toes.

His voice was urgent when it came. "Yes it does matter. Do you want my robe?" As he rushed to take it off, I put a hand on his arm.

"No." I said. I didn't look up into his face for fear of seeing something that would make me loose my composure. I turned and opened the balcony door. I so desperately wanted to turn and look at him, but then I would cry and I was already ugly enough to him. He didn't need to see my nose run and eyes puff up. I left without another word.

It was so much warmer inside the ballroom that immediately my whole body stung like I had been thrown into a boiling hot bath. With nowhere else to go and with my body tingling, I went back to my corner with the chiffon curtains. The orchestra had started up, and people were dancing smoothly to the accompaniment. The reds, blues and purples of the ladies dresses shone in the crystal light and the music seemed to spread to every corner of the vaulted ceilings. It was a fine sight to behold.

"Care to dance?" Harry was by my elbow again with an outstretched had and a smile as if nothing had happened.

Grateful for his understanding, and for the distraction, I took the hand politely and he led me out onto the floor.

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><p>Soon I was smiling as he turned me deftly around in lopsided circles. I almost missed the disappearance of my bad mood, a little miffed that Harry knew how to lift it so easily. Stupid Harry, who always remembered that dancing was my favourite thing.<p>

He laughed as I almost tripped over my dress hem, and I glared at him with half-hearted spleen. "It's not nice to laugh at a lady." I reminded, doing my best impression of my mother.

"That's not a lady, that's my best friend!" He retorted, poking me in the midsection.

"Mind your manners." I laughed and poked him back.

"Yes Harry, mind your manners." He echoed in a supremely high voice that made me snicker once more.

"Mind if I cut in?"

Harry and I turned around. I blinked. Draco had come after me?

"No, of course I don't mind." Harry replied and bowed out. I sent him a panicked look, but he just smiled reassuringly and faded into the crowed of dancers.

I started to follow him quickly, but three fingers caught my hand. I turned and looked at Draco fearfully. I tugged my hand out of my glove, leaving it limp in his hand.

"Hermione, don't run." The desperateness in his voice caused me to slow, giving him enough time to snatch my hand into his. At the skin-upon-skin contact, I looked into his eyes. "Hermione, hear me out," he pleaded.

I knew from the moment I looked into his eyes that I was goner. Just like the first time I had really gotten to know him, I fell in love again. I nodded at his request and let him take my waist as we began to dance.

"Hermione, I'm sorry." He finally said after a few tense moments. "I'm sorry for the way that I've acted. And I…" he trailed off and I smiled fondly. "You know how bad I am at this kind of stuff." He continued, seeing my smile. "I know that I've been stupid, and I feel bad that I've ignored you because I've been so busy. I was really worried about how tonight was going to go over, and that's why I was cross with you."

"That's no excuse," I couldn't help but say.

He shook his head sadly. "You're right. It's not…I guess that…what I'm trying to say is…will you forgive me?"

"Do you really have to ask?" I wondered affectionately. "Of course I will." We shared a knowing grin that was interrupted by a pat on my shoulder.

"Can I cut in?" It was the mystery woman with the golden hair and the bells on her toes. I looked from Draco to the woman and then back to Draco. He gave me an intense look that gave me sudden strength.

I addressed the flawless woman with confidence. "No you may not."

As the silver and gold woman retreated tetchily, I pressed my forehead to Draco's. "Was that okay?"

He laughed. "More than okay. It was hard to pretend to like her anyway."

"You mean you didn't like her?" I was suddenly small as a mouse, the assertiveness I had felt just seconds ago draining from my body.

"No," Draco assured, "it's you that I love, you know."

"I know." And for once, I actually did.

We danced for an inordinate amount of time before a commotion brought our attention away from each other. The woman with the silver bells was running from the ballroom in a huff. Harry stood guiltily behind her, a mischievous smile on his face.

"Serves you right, you crazy bint!" He yelled after her.

"Harry! Language!" I hollered.

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><p>Thanks for reading! Like it? Hate it? Like Star Wars? I'd be happy to talk about any of those three! :D<p>

Stay Classy,

B. Juarez


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